Oliver coughtrie



Aug. 7, 1923. 1,464,029

- O. COUGHTRIE DEVICE; FOR USE IN PRACTICING THE GAME OF GOLF AND OTHERGAMES AND FOR LIKE PURPOSES Filed June 13, 1921 Patented Aug. 7, 1923.

OLIVER GOUGHTR-IE, OF DEAL, ENGLAND.

DEVICE FOR USE IN PRACTICING THE GAIVIE OF GOLF AND OTHER GAMES .AND FORLIKE PURPOSES.

Application filed June 13, 1921. Serial No. 477,300.

To all whom it may concern:

. Be it lmown that I, OLIVER CoUGH'rRm, a subject of George V, King ofGreatBritain and Ireland, residing at The Nest, Stanle Road, Deal, inthe county of Kent, Englan have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Devices for Use in Practicing the Game of Golf and OtherGames and for like Purposes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a device for use in practicing golf and forlike purposes, for example, practicing other games in which a club orthe like is used to strike a ball.

In playing golf, it is important that the ball be struck correctly,otherwise defective .play results. Expert p ayers can by long practiceand experience, judge fairly accurately from their sense of touchwhether a ball has been hit sweetly and cleanly, but the average playercannot do so, and, therefore, any means which would enable him toascertain whether or not he uses his clubs so as to strike the ballcorrectly would prove very useful to him and assist him in acquiringproficiency. Now, it is the object of this invention to provide a devicewhich can be attached to golf clubs and the like and by the use of whichthe player can practice his strokes with a ball in a confined space, andwhich shows him the part of the striking face of the club or the likeused in hitting the ball.

According to this invention the device is furnished with ball-retainingmeans which, when the ball is struck, retain the same in position on thedevice.

Such means consist preferably of sharpened pins whereon the ball becomesimpaled when it is struck. (The device may, therefore, be convenientlyreferred to hereinafter as a bal1-retainer.) i

Thus the player can see at a glance b what partof the striking face hehas struck the ball, and he is thereby afforded a ready means ofenabling any defect in his strokes to be corrected.

The practice-ball is preferably made of cork or other suitable material.

In the drawings Fig. l is a front elevation of the preferred form ofball-retainer constructed in accordance with this invention and for usewith golf clubs having an iron head, such as cleek, midiron or mashie.

Fig. 2 is a section on line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Figs. 3 and at are real and front perspective views respectively of theball-retainer in position on an iron golf-club which is indicated inbroken lines; and

Figs. 5 and 6 are plan and side elevation respectively of a modifiedform of ballretainer constructed in accordance with this invention andshown in position on a wooden or aluminium golf-club indicated in brokenlines.

Referring to the drawings, the ball-retainer consists of a plate a whichis shaped to fit the striking face of the club on which it is to be usedand which is provided on its outer face with rigid forwardly projectingpins 6 sharpened at their front ends.

For use with iron clubs as indicated in broken lines in Figs. 3 and 4:,the plate a is preferably made of spring-steel and provided with clips aand a which are sprung inwards so that, when the ball-retainer is pushedon to the club-head, they draw the plate a into close engagement withthe driving surface of the club and maintain the ball-retainer firmly inposition on the clubhead.

In the case of larger club-heads such as those of wood or aluminiumindicated in broken lines in Figs. 5 and 6, the means employed forfastening the ball-retainer thereon conveniently comprise an arm a whichextends from the plate a underneath and up the rear face of theclub-head. The marginal portions of the upper end of this arm are bentrearwardly and serrated to form teeth a The front upper edge of theplate a has hinged thereto a spring-wire clip 0 which lies tightly incontact with the upper surface of the clubhead and the rear end of whichis snapped into engagement with whichever of the teeth a is found to bemost suitable to the thickness of the club-head employed.

'Tho pins 7) are preferably arranged at -1 right angles to the plate (1.though they may, if desired, be disposed at some other angle. It ispreferable to makethem thin and parallel sided throughout excepting attheir extreme front (pointed) ends. They may stand out from the plate aa distance of about :1- of an inch to =3- of an inch and may be spacedabout of an inch apart. In some cases the surface of the plate a may bemarked off into sections, each section beas to enable the playerto-register the value of his strokes;

The pins may be formed with collar or enlarged shoulder near their innerends so that by riveting their inner extremities over on the hack Oilthe plate (L the shoulders become drawn tightly against the front faceof the said plate, whereby the pins become fixed rigidly in position.

In some cases the pins Ywmay nonstitute outwardly punched portions ofthe plate a. I elaimr V v l '1. A device for attachment to the head of agolf-club for the practice ofgolf compris ing a plate of snbstantiallythe same out line-as said head and having aleo rearwardly clips fordetaehably securing it grht on said he; ahcl sharpened ing forwardlyfrom substan- L i 0 front area of said plate. A deviee, for practicinggolf and other ames. comprising-a plate providv; n having a toothedextremity, a elip hinged -to said plate and adapted to e11 said toothedextremity, and sharpp'ointe projecting from said plate.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this speeifi'eation inthe presence of extending a enbserihing Witneee OLIVER COUGHTRIE;Witness: l l Y H. T. P. GEE;

